It's Monday 2/27! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

Life

Not much time today for an update because my son and I made our quarterly pilgrimage to nearby Lancaster County to see his two of his medical specialists. He came home yesterday and is leaving after dinner tonight. It's a short but very welcome visit since we hadn't seen him since Christmas. Though the four hours of driving and doctor's appointments wears me out, I enjoy the time with my son; we get to catch up in the car. Here's a picture of the traffic we encounter along the way:

 

 

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On the Blog

Movie Monday: CODA - Outstanding!

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On Video

 Friday Reads 2-24-23 - Overview of my recent reads

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What We're Reading

I finished Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger for my book group, though I missed our meeting. Last year, Krueger's This Tender Land was our All-County Reads book, and all of us loved it (it was my #2 book of the year!), so we were excited to read this one. It won the 2014 Edgar Award and is a standalone historical mystery, set in a small town in Minnesota in 1961. But it's mostly a coming-of-age story, with thirteen-year-old Frank at its center, along with his younger brother, Jake. At the start, the narrator (Frank as an adult) explains that four deaths occurred in town that summer. Those deaths change him and force him to grow up quickly. It was excellent! You can hear more about the book and my thoughts in my Friday Reads video.

 

Now, I am reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zore Neale Hurston, a classic I've been wanting to read for ages that's perfect for Black History Month. It's about a woman named Janie who comes back into town after a year and a half away, and then tells her best friend her story--not only of the past 18 months but of her entire life. It was written in 1937 and the dialogue is all written in the Black dialect of Florida at that time, so it can take little longer to read than standard text. But I've gotten into the rhythm of it, and it's an engrossing story. I'm really enjoying it.

On audio, I am listening to The Upper World by Femi Fadugba, a YA science fiction novel. It's about parallel universes and time travel, some of my favorite kinds of plots, and it was described as "perfect for fans of Neal Schusterman." I'm in! Esso, a teen Black boy in a poor section of London gets in an accident and is suddenly pushed into another world, "the upper world." Fifteen years later, teen girl Rhia has a new Physics tutor named Dr. Esso. Lots of secrets revealed and twisty plot points ensue. It's excellent, though it has its own south London slang dialect which is sometimes a bit tricky on audio. 

 

My husband, Ken, is still reading Absolute Fear by Lisa Jackson, a Valentine's gift from me, a thriller set in New Orleans, where we used to live. It's a re-release of one of her best-sellers, about two NOPD detectives investigating a serial killer, and it's part of a series. I didn't realize she wrote a thriller series set in New Orleans; this might be a new favorite series for my husband! Isn't it fun to read novels set in a place you know well?

 

Our son, 28, finished reading The White Tower by Michael Wisehart, book 1 in The Aldoran Chronicles, and is almost finished with book 2, Plague of Shadows.

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What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.  

What are you and your family reading this week

 

Movie Monday: CODA

As usual, we're a bit behind, but my husband and I finally watched the movie CODA last week. In 2021, it won Oscars for Best Motion Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (for Troy Katsur). Now we know what all the fuss was about! We both loved this funny, uplifting movie about a family of deaf fishermen in New England.

As a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA), Ruby, played by Emilia Jones, is the only hearing person in her deaf family. They live on the New England coast and make their living fishing. Early every morning, Ruby heads out in their boat with her father, played by Troy Katsur, and her older brother, Leo (played by Daniel Durant), before she heads into town for high school. For as long as she can remember, Ruby has been the interpreter for her father, brother, and mother, played by Marlee Matlin. Her family is quite isolated from the rest of the town, though they are very close-knit and loving. In her senior year of high school, Ruby signs up for choir on a whim. She has always loved to sing, but in the midst of her deaf family, she has no idea if she's any good. The music teacher, Bernardo Villalobos, played by Eugenio Derbez, immediately recognizes Ruby's raw talent. He begins training both her and Miles, played by Ferdia Walsh-Peelo from Sing Street, another excellent movie), for their upcoming concert, as well as for an audition at the prestigious Berklee School of Music. He's convinced Ruby can get in, and the more she sings, the more passionate she becomes about it. But her family needs her more than ever, with several crises occurring in the local fishing community. Ruby is torn between following her dreams and finally becoming her own person and caring for the family she loves.

When I thought back to this movie, I realized it's a familiar coming-of-age movie theme: the adolescent finding her identity and learning to separate from her family. The setting, of course, is quite original: a hearing child in the midst of a deaf family who rely on her. That's not all that makes this movie special, though. The entire cast is outstanding, and glimpsing the interior lives of a deaf family is fascinating, especially in one scene completely from their perspective, with complete silence in the midst of a crowd. The writing is also excellent (and award-winning), with each character fully developed and plenty of humor blended with the drama. Even the physical setting, on the rocky coast in a fishing village, is beautiful and unique. All together, this makes for an engrossing package: a moving, inspiring, funny family drama that kept us rapt and left our hearts soaring.

CODA is an Apple original movie and is available on Apple TV.

If you are looking for other warm, inspiring, funny family dramas, try:

Captain Fantastic - warm, funny story of quirky family facing challenges

Lady Bird - tender, realistic, funny coming-of-age story

The Peanut Butter Falcon - Original, heartwarming & funny, about found family.

Grandma - warm, funny, heartbreaking movie about eccentric grandma & her granddaughter 

This is Where I Leave You – warm, hilarious adaptation of the novel

It's Monday 2/20! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

Life

We enjoyed a week of celebrations, with Valentine's Day on Tuesday, and Mardi Gras celebrations on-going! Valentine's Day was celebrated with just a quiet evening with my husband and I. We cooked a simple but delicious dinner at home, with filets and roasted Brussels sprouts, and exchanged cards and goodies (we are fully stocked up on chocolate now!).

For the past 30 years, we have hosted a Mardi Gras party on the last weekend of carnival season. At one point, we had 50-60 people here for it! After I got sick 21 years ago, we scaled back to about a dozen close friends. With the pandemic the past few years, we've done a Zoom gathering, which works well since several of our old New Orleans friends have left this area in recent years. But we just weren't feeling it this year. So, we invited our closest friends over (who also lived in New Orleans when we did), ordered takeout from a fabulous, very authentic, local Louisiana-inspired restaurant, and added King Cake, Zapp's (great chips from Louisiana), and homemade bread pudding that they made. We enjoyed a nice celebration with just the four of us, great food, lots of laughs, and reminisces of our time in New Orleans together. We'll be going to their house tomorrow for our traditional Popeye's splurge for Mardi Gras Day (watch for a special Mardi Gras post here tomorrow).

King cake & a small part of our bead collection!

Catfish po'boy, gumbo & Abita beer

We didn't put up all our decorations but the purple fringe is a must!

My week was still not horribly productive. My laptop problems continued with another 2-hour phone call to Apple. Plus, I spent 90 minutes on the phone with Aetna to fix problems with seven claims--we didn't even resolve the first one. At least the computer problems seem to be fixed!

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On the Blog

TV Tuesday: Poker Face - Our new favorite show! 

Throwback Thursday: 17 Years of Blogging

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On Video

It took days to edit again, but I finally posted:

Friday Reads 2-17-23 - a brief recap of the books I just finished and was just starting

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What We're Reading

 

 I am still reading my next book group selection, Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. Last year, Krueger's This Tender Land was our All-County Reads book, and all of us loved it (it was my #2 book of the year!), so we were excited to read this one. It won the 2014 Edgar Award and is a standalone historical mystery, set in a small town in Minnesota in 1961. It's also a coming-of-age story, with thirteen-year-old Frank at its center, along with his younger brother, Jake. At the start, the narrator (Frank as an adult) explains that four deaths occurred in town that summer, and #3 just happened. It's great so far--and I need to finish it by Wednesday!

 

 

On audio, I finished listening to Anywhere You Run by Wanda M. Morris, historical fiction that is also a mystery/thriller, and a good fit for Black History Month. It's set in 1964, and begins in Jackson, Mississippi, during Freedom Summer. Two sisters each decide to flee town for different reasons: one killed a white man who raped her, and the other is single and pregnant. One ends up in a small town in Georgia, and the other heads north, but they don't realize that a man is tracking both of them. It was excellent, with family drama, suspense, and great historical detail.

 

 

 

I have just started a new audio book, The Upper World by Femi Fadugba, a YA science fiction novel. It's about parallel universes and time travel, some of my favorite kinds of plots, and it was described as "perfect for fans of Neal Schusterman." I'm in! Esso, a teen Black boy in a poor section of London gets in an accident and is suddenly pushed into another world, "the upper world." Fifteen years later, teen girl Rhia has a new Physics tutor named Dr. Esso. I just started it on Friday (some of my computer problems involved downloading books to my iPod), and I am already engrossed.

 

 

Of course, I included a book in my husband's Valentine treat bag. I picked out Absolute Fear by Lisa Jackson from the selection at the drugstore because it takes place in New Orleans! Perfect for this week. It's a re-release of one of her best-sellers, about two NOPD detectives investigating a serial killer, and it's part of a series. I didn't realize she wrote a thriller series set in New Orleans; this might be a new favorite series for my husband! Isn't it fun to read novels set in a place you know well?

 

 

Last I heard, our son, 28, was reading The White Tower by Michael Wisehart, book 1 in The Aldoran Chronicles, in preparation for book 2, Plague of Shadows, which he bought with a Christmas gift card. I'm guessing he's already started book 2, but he's working today, so I can't do my usual Monday check-in with him!

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What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.  

What are you and your family reading this week

 

Throwback Thursday: 17 Years of Blogging!

Two wonderful things happened 17 years ago today: my awesome nephew was born, and I started this blog!

I had recently begun reviewing books professionally, for Family Fun magazine, and I wanted to share my reading adventures with friends and fellow readers. You can read my very first blog post, Welcome to My Reading World. That post includes a bit of my reading history, plus some of my favorite books read recently.

And now, I have a 17-year record of all the wonderful books I have enjoyed!

I had fun looking back at the start of this 17-year blogging venture, and I hope you do, too!

Do you keep records of what you read?

Do you know what books you were reading 17 years ago?

TV Tuesday: Poker Face

My husband and I have a new favorite TV show that we are absolutely loving. Poker Face stars one of our favorite actresses and is suspenseful, funny, and just plain fun.

The fabulous Natasha Lyonne (from Orange is the New Black and Russian Doll, two other outstanding shows) stars as Charlie Cale, a woman with an unusual talent: she can tell when someone is lying. For awhile, Charlie made money playing poker, but she became renowned (or rather, infamous) rather quickly and was soon banned from high-roller poker games after winning too much money. As the show opens, Charlie is living a quiet life working in a small, family-run casino. No more poker for her; she's just earning her living as a waitress in the casino and living in a trailer. When a friend of hers turns up dead, and Charlie can tell someone involved is lying about it, she gets involved in finding out what really happened. Meanwhile, the casino's manager, played by Adrian Brody, wants Charlie to use her poker/truth-telling talents for his own gain, to watch a high-roller game being held at the casino and help his plant win. Let's just say that things go very wrong along the way. By the end of the first episode, Charlie is on the run, with the casino's muscle, Cliff (played by Benjamin Bratt), chasing her. From then on, each episode finds Charlie in some small out-of-the-way place, with a new job, just trying to live a quiet, peaceful life. In each place, though, she stumbles on another murder and feels compelled to make sure the bad guys pay and the good guys are redeemed.

This is something of a classic murder mystery show, with a twist. Charlie usually ends up solving each crime the old-fashioned way, by talking to people and finding clues, but there is often some sort of innocuous comment someone makes that Charlie knows is a lie and makes her realize there was a murder (versus an accident or natural death) in the first place. The mysteries are twisty and unusual. The best part of this show, though, is its star. If you've seen Natasha Lyonne in either of her previous big shows, you know she steals the scene every time. She's an absolute delight to watch on screen, and here, she is at her laid-back, snarky best. It's easy to root for her. Plus, each episode has some big name guest stars in fabulous roles, like Judith Light as an aging hippy in a retirement home and Ellen Barkin as a washed up actress who wants one last hit on-stage in a regional theater. Every episode is loaded with clever humor, great writing and acting, and a fun mystery to get to the bottom of. We very quickly caught up on the first six episodes and are anxiously awaiting the next one!

Poker Face is a Peacock original series and is available on Peacock exclusively, airing on Thursdays.

It's Monday 2/13! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

Life

Happy Superbowl, Valentine's Day, and Mardi Gras! Wow, there's a lot going on this week. We are big into small celebrations, so this is a fun-filled week for us! We had two friends over last night for Superbowl, and our son stayed home with us, too (his friends were all in Philly, and he had no interest in being there--win or lose, Eagles fans can get crazy). We enjoyed yummy snacks, and the game was exciting right up until the end. My favorite part of Superbowl is the ads! Some of my favorites from last night include Hamm and Brie (very clever), the EV one with scenes from all the TV shows, the babies at the wedding (though I don't remember what product it was selling!), and Tubi's rabbit hole ad was very clever and certainly got our attention. The one that stole my heart, though, was one of the last ads, with John Travolta in the T-Mobile ad; as a long-time Grease superfan since age 13, I loved that one! I just wish Olivia Newton John could have been there to accompany him.

Superbowl snacks!

We'll probably just do takeout or an easy home meal tomorrow night for Valentine's Day, but we used to go all out when our sons were little, with the house decorated, hearts hanging from their doorways, treat bags, and chocolate fondue for dessert. I have treat bags ready for my husband and son, and my husband bought a fabulous sea salt-chocolate chess pie for us.

This is what our sons woke to every Valentine's Day!

We celebrate love with treats for all!

 

All of this celebration is nice after one of "those" weeks. You know when you plan to do some small task, and one thing after another goes wrong? Yeah, it was like that. I sat down to edit a video Tuesday afternoon and ended up spending two hours on the phone with Apple help, having to update the system on my laptop, update all my software, and then buy, download, and install new Microsoft Office. I finally got that video edited on Friday! Not much else got done last week. So, I'm hoping for a more productive week with fewer issues!

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On the Blog

Movie Monday: A Man Called Otto - excellent adaptation of the book that we both enjoyed.

 Fiction Review: A Serpent's Tooth by Matty Dalrymple - book 5 in my favorite series, about a woman who solves mysteries by talking to the dead.

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On Video

Here's that video that took all week to edit and upload!

January Reading Wrap-Up - overview of the 6 books I read/listened to last month

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What We're Reading

 

 I finished reading Dead of Winter by Stephen Mack Jones, book 3 in his August Snow series. I first met Stephen at Booktopia 2019, and I enjoyed his first two novels, August Snow and Lives Laid Down (which was featured at Booktopia). Snow is a half-Black, half-Mexican ex-cop who made a lot of money in a lawsuit that took down dirty cops in Detroit, where he lives. This makes him unpopular among most of the police force. In each book, Snow takes on some sort of mystery in his hometown, usually focused on cleaning up the city. These are action-packed thrillers with a great sense of humor, and my husband enjoys them, too. They tend to be a bit more violent for my taste, but the story, characters, and suspense are great.

 

Today, I will start my next book group selection, Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. Last year, Krueger's This Tender Land was our All-County Reads book, and all of us loved it (it was my #2 book of the year!), so we're excited to read this one. All I know about it is that it won the 2014 Edgar Award (so it must be a mystery), and it's a stand-alone, not part of his Cork O'Connor series. He's an excellent writer, so I'm excited to dive into this one today!

 On audio, I'm still listening to Anywhere You Run by Wanda M. Morris, historical fiction that is also a mystery/thriller, and a good fit for Black History Month. It's set in 1964, and begins in Jackson, Mississippi, during Freedom Summer. Two sisters each decide to flee town for different reasons: one killed a white man who raped her, and the other is single and pregnant. One ends up in a small town in Georgia, and the other heads north, but they don't realize that a man is tracking both of them. It's great so far!

 

My husband, Ken, is reading book 3 in the Ann Kinnear series, The Falcon and the Owl by Matty Dalrymple. He enjoys this series, too (my favorite). This one takes place near us, in southeastern PA, at a small airport where Ann is taking flying lessons. Murder, ghosts, and mystery ensue! I read this one last fall (my review at the link).

 

Our son, 28, is still reading The White Tower by Michael Wisehart, book 1 in The Aldoran Chronicles, in preparation for book 2, which he just bought with a Christmas gift card. He's discovered new updates to an old favorite video game that is taking up some of his reading time!

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What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.  

What are you and your family reading this week?

 

Fiction Review: A Serpent's Tooth

I don't read many series completely, but I absolutely love the Ann Kinnear series by Matty Dalyrmple. I always enjoy her mysteries about a woman who can sense spirits and communicate with the dead and have previously reviewed The Sense of Death, The Sense of Reckoning, The Falcon and the Owl (which my husband is reading now), and A Furnace for Your Foe. I just finished book five in the series, A Serpent's Tooth; I loved every minute of it and was sorry when it ended.

Ann is living with her brother and brother-in-law in southeastern Pennsylvania (coincidentally, just a short drive from my home!), and they enjoy visiting a local winery, Lynch and Son. Her brother, Mike, is friends with the winemaker there, a man named Del who is married to the owner's daughter, Rowan. Rowan also works at the family winery, as the vineyard manager, and loves the family business. Rowan's older brother, Harkin, lives in Hawaii and has never had any interest in the winery. Their father, Niall, is dying, and in spite of Harkin's clear dislike of the family business, Niall is still torn over which of his children should inherit the winery. He's pretty old-school, and the winery is, after all, named Lynch and Son because his own father started it and passed it down to him. His greatest wish is to pass it on to his own son, in spite of Harkin's animosity toward both his father and the business. Soon, Niall dies and leaves behind two wills, one leaving the winery to each child, though neither will can be found. He was hoping in his last weeks to convince Harkin, who is visiting, to take over. Ann has recently moved into the guest house at the winery, and Rowan and Del hire her to try to find and communicate with Niall, to find out what happened to the two wills he told them about and what his wishes were when he died. Without either of those two recent wills, the entire business and property would go to Harkin, who plans to sell immediately.

As always with these mysteries, the situation starts out seeming fairly simple, but the more Ann learns, the more complicated things become. In addition to the mystery of the wills, there is soon another death on site (possibly murder?), a mysterious location in downtown Philadelphia, and two potential ghosts for Ann to talk to. As always, the suspense builds to an action-packed climax. Besides Dalrymple's talent for suspenseful mystery/thrillers, my husband and I both agree she's an excellent writer. When I'm in the middle of one of her novels, I can barely stand to set it aside at night to go to sleep! I also love her richly-drawn characters, both the recurring characters like Ann and Mike, and the new characters introduced in each novel. Dalrymple also has a talent for making the location of each novel come alive, including lots of great local details and lush descriptions. Both my husband and I enjoy this engrossing series of supernatural mysteries. And book 6, Be with the Dead, was just released, so I have another book to look forward to!

370 pages, William Kingsfield Publishers

This book fits in the following 2023 Reading Challenges:

 

Alphabet Soup Challenge - S

Diversity Challenge

Literary Escapes Challenge - Pennsylvania

 

Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!

 

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can buy all the books in the series through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local! Book one:

   

 

Or you can order A Serpent's Tooth from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.